So as you know, finals week is just about a month away. Once you’re done, you can breathe a sigh of relief, and know that Christmas is just around the corner. But for that one to two weeks that you have finals, it can be very overwhelming. So it’s good to start preparing now!
It’s important to know that in some classes, your final makes up a huge chunk of your grade. So you should begin to come up with a study plan, and begin preparing all your materials now.

1. Make flashcards: Flashcards are not only simple to make, but one of the best materials you can use when it comes to memorizing definitions and terms. Group them in simple groups, like ten to twenty cards, and go through until you’ve memorized each group. Then, try to go through the entire set after you feel confident that you’ve memorized the material.

2. Create a mock test: Go through all the material in your class, and take a piece of paper and divide it in half the long way. Write a bunch of terms and whatnot on one side of the sheet, and attempt to answer the questions on the other side.

3. Take breaks: When studying, it’s a good idea to take breaks in order to keep yourself focused. Keep it short, though; around five to ten minutes should suffice. Any longer, and you may get a case of “Wow, I haven’t played Call of Duty in a while, I should go do that. Oh, and I have some laundry I forgot to do. And I need to write a letter to that pen pal from Spanish class in 6th grade too..” So try to keep focused!

4. Be sure to check your professor’s website [if they have one], for any study guides or review sheets that they may have posted online for you! And, always review past quizzes and homework, because that is the material that will be included on your final.

5. If you’re getting a take home exam, be sure to spell check everything! Also, make sure that you’ve cited your work, and used any special formatting techniques that your professor may have requested. You don’t want to lose points or fail the exam because of a mistake like that.

“I find that children want to be around happy people because it makes them happy and it may empower them to always be a happy person.”

Hi, Cynthia Here!

As we all know, this semester is slowly but surely coming to an end. Whew! Thats one down one more to go! For me, the end of the semester means applying for jobs, because my bank account appears to be slowly running out and the number one demand of college kids? You got it: money!

This week, I have two interviews for different jobs on campus, and of course, they are both on the same day!! So that means I have a lot of preparing to do.

A couple common interview tips for any of you in the same situation as me:

• Greet the employer with a handshake
• Make frequent eye contact
• Be polite, Smile!
• If in doubt, bring a resume (better safe than sorry)
• Be upbeat and positive

A great recorce on campus that can also help you with interview tips is Career Services located in Southwick 200 on North Campus. They have drop-in resume makeovers if you’re not sure how to make a resume. Their schedule for November can be found HERE!

Career Services also offers advice about changing majors if you’re unhappy in your major. You can also go schedule a mock interview to help practice for your interview!

That’s it for me for now! I gotta get back to my resume!

-Cynthia

Hey guys!

Audrey here.

So I’ve been pretty much MIA the last few days, and I apologize for my absence. I was off representing UML at a journalism conference down in Austin, TX. (Which was a blast, by the way!)

I wanted to talk to you folks about the upcoming changes happening to the academic Spring 2010 semester here at UML. In the title of this blog, I said it was “unofficial” because I can’t be quoted on this information- I just wanted to let you know what I’ve heard so you can be in the loop.

First off, as many of you know, the Learning Community system is well in session. UML has designed programs where two classes must be taken together in order for students to get the “complete” package of information. For example, Civil War history and Southern Literature will be both be taken together by students.

For information, see this website!

The Alternative Spring Break is hosting a concert to fundraise for their trip to Guatamala and Arizona for this spring break! The tickets are only $5 for 4 bands (The Saints, Runaway Redwagon, Life on Hold and Pathogenic) and a fun night of music and dancing…plus you’re helping a great cause!
The concert is tomorrow (November 5th) on North Campus in Cumnock Hall. Doors open at 6:30 and the first band goes on at 7:00. The show is estimated to end by 11:00 so you will still have the rest of the night to do your own thing.

Hope to see you all there!!

-Erin

Hey guys! It’s Shay. 🙂
I’m not really doing much of anything, just working here at the Orientation office right now and working my butt off in all my classes. Graphic design is more time consuming than you’d think!

I recently went with fellow Ambassador Ben to a local restaurant, Life Alive, which just so happens to be next to my favorite local art store, Van Gogh’s Gear. Life Alive is an organic and vegetarian friendly restaurant located on Middle Street in Downtown Lowell. Now, I like meat and if you put a steak in front of me, I’d be a happy camper. But this food was SO. GOOD.
I got a Hot and Healthy Bachelor [wheat tortilla with boiled eggs, sun dried tomatoes, greens, broccoli, carrots, and melted cheddar], and Ben got The Fool [Udon noodles in sesame ginger sauce, with kale, mushrooms, tofu, and sesame seeds]. I was sick that day too, but after I ate I felt so much better, it was amazing! It is a little pricy there, because they offer organic products and quality ingredients, but it’s totally worth it.
http://www.lifealive.com/

If vegetarian isn’t your thing, and you like more Asian-geared food, I’d definately recommend going to Viet Thai, a Vietnamese/Taiwanese restaurant located right by Lowell City Hall on Merrimack Street. The restaurant has a nice cozy feel to it; you just choose a seat and they come to you. You get so much food for such a great value, I always get the rice noodles with beef, and it’s cooked with cabbage, carrots, baby corn, and other vegetables. It costs me about $6/$7, and I get enough food to last me legitimately three days.

There’s also Monkeys on Merrimack Street [so you can go there after Viet Thai!], which has awesome ice cream. Who cares if it’s November? Ice cream is awesome all the time.

You can also find lots of cute little shops and stores throughout Downtown. There’s Found, which is a vintage store that has loads of things that you might find up in Dad or Grandma’s attic. There’s also the Brush Art Gallery, which is free and where you can go see in progress works of artists working at the refinished lots, and buy various prints and original pieces. And finally, don’t forget to check out the backbone of Lowell, the Lowell Mills which have AMAZING tours [we went for Orientation training, and I had a blast!]

Well, that’s it for me for now! :]

Hi everyone! Its Cynthia 🙂

So about now you should be getting all you midterm assessments back if you haven’t already. I got my Mechanical Behavior of Materials (trust me, its almost as awful as it sounds) midterm back yesterday and I was not too happy with my grade. Midterms are usually a good indicator in whether you should withdraw from a class or not depending on how much you midterm affects you final grade. All that information can be found on the syllabus you got at the begining of the semester. I ended up going to my professors office hours, and she was very understanding. She recomended that I keep going in the class instead of withdrawing because it was apparant to her that I understood the material and the midterm only counts as 15% of my grade.

MAKE SURE YOU TALK TO YOUR PROFESSOR BEFORE WITHDRAWING FROM A CLASS

Thats the best advice I can give you. Your professor will be able to go over your projected grade and let you know if you should stay in a class or try again next semseter.

The last day to withdraw with a W is November 13. But make sure its your last resort. Although a W doesn’t exactly look good on your transcripts, it does look better than an F and it doesn’t effect your GPA!

Thats all for now!

-Cynthia